Device for shouldering well drill pipes



May 23, 1939.

F. MORGAN 2,159,287

DEVICE FOR SHOULDERING WELL DRILL PIPES Filed July 28, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet l g g9 Ffianlifforgan 1 INVENTOR.

+ ATTORNEYS. W

May 2 3 1 939.

F. MORGAN DEVICE FOR SHOULDERING WELL DRILL PIPES Filed July 28, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS.

May 23, 1939.

F. MORGAN 2,159,287

DEVICE FOR SHOULDERING WELL DRILL PIPES Filed July 28, 1937 g Q I Eran/i Morgan INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS. Q

I 4 Shets-Sheet 3 I 7 May 23, 1939. F. MORGAN 2,159,287

DEVICE FOR SHOULDERING WELL DRILL PIPES Filed July 28, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 A TTORNEYS.

Patented May 23, 1939 UNHTE STATES PATENT OFFICE DEVICE FOR SHOULDERING WELL DRILL 7 Claims.

Rotatable drill pipe is made up of sections usually 40 to 44 feet in length, eight inches or so in diameter, and of great weight, one end of each section having a tapered pin and the opposite end of each section having a flared box into which the pin of an adjoining section is adapted to be threaded, the pipe sections having transverse shoulders (varying in width as desired), the threads of the pin end of the box 10 coming to a jam at the time the shoulders come into engagement. In operation, the drill pipe is rotated, usually at moderately high speed, liquid being pumped in at the top of the pipe and escaping at the bottom, through outlets in the 15 drill proper, the liquid rising between the drill pipe and the wall of the well.

When the drill becomes dull or ceases to cut,

the drill pipe is withdrawn and unjointed, a

new bit is put on, the drill pipe is returned to 20 the hole, and drilling is resumed. The repeated unjointing and rejointing of the drill pipe, in addition to vibration in the well, wears the joints. Owing to the diameter at the joints, the joints are subjected to heavy Wear, the joint-forming elements becoming grooved, flattened or greatly worn, to a taper. Hardening often takes place along the entire face of the joint shoulder or along a part only of the shoulder, or sometimes in spots, the degree of hardness being such that 30 no lathe cutter can work upon them unless annealed.

A constant wearing of the threads of the pin and of the box takes place, and since there may be little or no wear on the shoulders, the threads fail to make a perfect fit and all the strain is thrown on the shoulders, with a strong tendency to draw the threads.

Experience has taught that by dressing back the shoulders and by using a master jig or gauge, the life of the drill joint is practically doubled. The shoulders must be in planes exactly at right angles to the axis of the pipe sections. Owing to conditions arising out of wear and to the warped or crooked condition of the pipe, chucking in a lathe is not practical and is almost an impossibility.

In view of the foregoing, the present invention aims to provide a simple tool for dressing down the shoulders, whether hard or soft, and doing so on the job, as distinguished from hauling the pipe sections to a remote place, with corresponding loss of time and with haulage expense.

It is within the province of the disclosure to 55 improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the present invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in View, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows in front elevation, a tool constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. l, the view showing the pin end of the pipe in place;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section similar to Fig. 3 but showing the box end of the pipe in place;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the chuck-supporting body;

Fig. 6 is a sectional View showing the grinding wheel, the motor and attendant parts;

Fig. '7 is a sectional view illustrating the means whereby the tool slide is releasably held in place;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing the mounting of the chuck carrier on the chuck-supporting body;

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the chuck carrier;

Fig. 10 is an elevation wherein the chuck carrier is viewed edgewise;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view showing the means whereby the motor that operates the grinding wheel is coupled up electrically.

The device forming the subject-matter of this application comprises an annular chuck-supporting body I, shown in elevation in Fig. 5, and in cross section in Fig. 2. The body I is provided with any desired number of radial guides 2, wherein chuck carriers 3 are mounted for right line reciprocation. Toothed chucks 4 are pivotally mounted at 5 on the inner endsof the chuck carriers 3 and because of their pivotal mounting, the chucks will grip a pipe properly, as shown in Fig. 2, regardless of irregularities in the pipe.

Feed screws 6 are mounted rotatably, but against endwise movement, in seats l formed in the body I. The feed screws 6 engage in threadedtrough-shaped recesses 8 formed in the chuck carriers 3, and by rotating the feed screws, the chuck carriers 3 and the chucks 4 may be adjusted in and out, radially of the body I.

The body is received partially within an annular tool carrier 9 having a rim Ill extended about the clutch body An annular centering guide II, made of special bearing metal, is secured at |2 to the body I and is received in an annular groove |4 formed in the tool carrier 9. That side of the tool carrier 9 which is opposite to the groove I4 is provided with an annular rib 5, the function of which will be made manifest hereinafter.

A sprocket wheel I6, made in two pieces, is attached by securing elements I! to the edge of the rib ll] of the rotatable tool carrier 9 and extends into an annular groove I8 formed in the periphery of the body the construction being such that, by means of the sprocket wheel, the tool carrier 9 is connected to the body for rotation with respect thereto. A wear ring I9 is located in the groove l8, within the rim IU of the tool carrier 9 and beneaththe sprocket Wheel l6. The ring|9 may be advanced to take up wear, by means of screws 20, threaded into the inner portion of the sprocket wheel l6. Figure 11 shows that the body I has an opening 2|. By rotating the sprocket wheel I 6 with respect to the body I, the screws 20 can be brought one at a time into alignment with the opening 2|, and then a screw driver can be inserted into the opening to advance the screws 28, one after another, and to advance the ring I9 to take up wear.

The sprocket wheel 16 is engaged by a sprocket chain 22 cooperating with a small driving sprocket wheel 23 (Fig. 1) secured to a shaft 24 mounted to rotate in an offset bracket 25 attached to the edge of the body I, as Fig.5 will disclose. suitable 'means' not shown in the drawings but accessible at the place of use. 7

An under-cut guide plate 26 (Figs; 2 and '7) is secured at 21 to the rotatable tool carrier 9, and

on the guide plate 26 a tool carriage 28 is mounted for right line adjustment, radially of the tool carrier 9, a gib llln being located in the carriage, in contact with one edge of the guide plate. A post 29 extends through'the guide plate 26 (Fig. 2) and is secured at 36 to the rotatable tool carrier 9. The post 29 extends downwardly into an elongated recess 3| into the tool carriage 28. A- ieed screw 32 is located in the recess 3|, the inner end of the feed screw being threaded into'the post 29' on the rotatable tool carrier 9, the feed screw being journaled in the outer end wall of the tool carriage 28 and being held against longitudinal movement by collars 33 attached to the feed screw. 7

The tool carriage 28 has a guideway 34 wherein is mounted for longitudinal adjustment a tool slide 35, the slide being disposed at an acute angleto the axis of the feed screw 32. A set screw 99, threaded into the carriage 28, holds the slide in any position to which the slide may have been moved longitudinally. A dressing tool 36is held by an Allen screw 31 in the inner end of the slide 36. A yoke 38' (Fig. '7) 'is' connected by a pivot element 39 to, that part of the tool carriage 28.

wherein the slide 35 is mounted. Intermediate its-ends, the yoke 38 is provided with 'a notch 48, and at its free end, the yoke has a notch 4| adapted to receive a headed holding screw 42 threaded into the outer part of the tool carriage 28. A feed screw 43' is threaded'at its'inner end'intothefslide 35' and has fixed collars 44, located-on o posite sides ofthe yoke 38,. By rotating the feed screw 43, the'slide 35 and the The shaft 24 maybe rotated by any tool 36 can be adjusted to vary the depth of the cut, as will bedescribed hereinafter. The yoke 38 can be swung down to the position of Fig. '7, thus enabling the slide 35 to be taken out and be replaced by another slide, carrying a different tool, a quick interchange of tools being brought about, without loosening the screw 31 and exchanging tools in a single slide.

At a point diametrically opposite to the guide plate 26, the tool carrier 9 is provided with a radial guide plate 45 (Figs. 6 and 2), on which a slide 46 is mounted for right line reciprocation, after the manner of the tool carriage 28, the gib Within the slide being marked by the numeral 98. The slide 46 is moved in and out by a feed screw 41 threaded into a post 48 attached at 49 to the rotatable tool carrier 9. The feed screw 41 is journaled in the outer end of the slide 46 and is held against longitudinal movement by collars 50.

The slide 46 has projecting arms 5| into which are threaded a fixed pivot screw 52, and a pivot screw '53 under the control of an operator. One end of a motor carrier 54 is mounted to swing on the pivot screws 52 and 53, and the opposite end of the motor carrier is provided with an adjustable stop or screw 55 (Fig. 6) adapted to engage an abutment arm 56 on the slide 46. One end of a pull spring 51 is attached to the slide 46, and the opposite end of the pull spring is connected to an adjusting screw 58 threaded into the motor carrier 54. 7

An electric motor 59 is secured in the motor carrier 54. A speed-increase gearing 6| is secured to the inner end of the housing of the motor-59 and includes a shaft 62 carrying a grinding wheel 69 operating parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotatable tool carrier 9. The conductors 63 for the motor 59 (Fig. 1) are connected to binding posts 64 on an insulating member' 65 secured to the rotatable tool carrier 9. Spring-pressed contacts 66 in the binding posts 64 engage conducting tracks 61 secured in a recess in the body I, but insulated therefrom. From the tracks 61, conductors 68 lead through the body to a socket 69 on the body, it being possible to connect current supplying means 18 with the socket 69, by means of a plug 1|. The numeral 12 in Fig. 4 marks a setting jig having seats 14 adapted to receive the rib l5 on the rotatable tool carrier 9. The setting jig 12 isprovided with a tapered hub 15 which has external threads 16. In Fig. 3 there is shown a setting jig "provided with seats 79 adapted to receive the rib l5 on the rotatable tool carrier 9. The jig T! has a central tapered bore, providedwith internal threads 80. I The numeral 8| marks a pipe provided at one end with a tapered pin 82 having external threads 83. At its oppositeend, the pipe 8| has what is commonly known in the art as a tapered box 84 provided with internal threads 85, the threads 85 on the box 84 of one pipe being adapted to cooperate with the threads 83 on the pin end of the next adjoining pipe section, a shoulder 81 around the pin 82 being adapted to abut against a shoulder 89 atthe end of the box 84, simultaneously with the grip of the pin threads 83 with thebox-threads 85,if the said threads relatiom-th'ereby obtaining a more secure joint than would be possible otherwise, and to do this on the job, rather than by hauling the pipes to a remote place.

Assuming that the pin end 82 of the pipe 8| is to be worked upon, as in Figs. 3 and 2, the pipe is laid down horizontally, as in Fig. 11 on horses (not shown). The body l and the rotatable member or tool carrier 9 are slipped over the pipe. The pin 82 of the pipe is threaded into the jig IT. The jig ":1 is connected to the tool carrier 9 by attaching elements 86, the rib [5 of the tool carrier 9 being received in theseats 19 in the jig ii. Thus the rotatable member 9 and the body l are centered with respect to the pipe 8!. By means of the feed screws 9 of Fig. 2, the chuck carriers 6 and the chucks 4 are advanced until the chucks grip the pipe 8|. Thus the body l is coupled to the pipe 8| and the jig i! can be taken off, by removing the attaching elements 86 and rotating the jig H.

The jig 72, the jig l? and parts which cooperate with them, form members of a work-positioning instrumentality not capable of being claimed herein and forming the subject matter of my copending application Ser. No. 219,901, filed July 18, 1938.

Rotation then is imparted to the member 9 by way of the sprocket wheel [6, the sprocket chain 22, the sprocket wheel 23 and the powerdriven shaft 2@. As the member 9 is rotated, the tool 36 moves around in an orbit and dresses off the shoulder Bl in the pipe St at the inner end of the pin 82. In order to move the tool 36 in and out, that is transversely of the axis of the pipe 8!, the carriage 28 is moved in and out by means of the feed screw 32. The depth of the cut, measured parallel to the axis of the pipe 85, is regulated by moving the tool slide 35 in and out, through the instrumentality of the feed screw 43.

If the material is too hard to be Worked upon by the tool 35, the grinding wheel 69 may be employed, the motor 59 being swung by the spring 51 to urge the grinding wheel to its work. The position of the grinding wheel Bil with respect to the work, and the depth of the cut, may be regulated by means of the screw 55 of Fig. 6, and by means of that screw the wheel 69 can be held away from the work if it is desired to use the tool 36 alone. The slide 46, carrying the motor 59 and the driving wheel 69, can be moved in and out by the feed screw 41, the result attained being like that produced by the operation of the feed screw 32 of Fig. 2 on the tool carriage 28.

When the box end of the pipe is to be operated upon, the jig 12 of Fig. 4 may be employed, it being unnecessary to trace out the mounting of the jig 12, in view of what has been stated hereinbefore with respect to the jig Tl.

As to the current supply for the motor 59, it is derived from the conductors ll] of Fig. 11, the plug H, the socket 69, the conductors $8, the conducting tracks El, the contacts 66, the binding posts 64, and the conductors S3 of Fig. 1.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a device for dressing an external transverse shoulder on a member, an annular body having circumferentially spaced guides, chuck carriers mounted on the guides for movement toward and from the axis of the body, means under the control of an operator for moving the chuck carriers toward and away from the axis of the body, Work-engaging chucks, means for mounting the chucks pivotally on the inner ends of the chuck carriers, an annular tool carrier mounted to rotate on the body, about said axis, means for rotating the tool carrier, a tool carriage mounted on the tool carrier for movement toward and away from the axis of the body, means under the control of an operator for moving the tool carriage as aforesaid, a tool slide mounted on the tool carriage for movement toward and away from the axis of the body, at an acute angle to the axis of the body, with the inner end of the tool slide nearer to the tool carrier than the outer end thereof, a shoulder dressing tool mounted on the inner end of the tool slide, and means under the control of an operator for moving the tool slide toward and away from the axis of the body, at said angle.

2. In a device for dressing an external transverse shoulder on a member, an annular body having circumferentially spaced guides, chuck carriers mounted on the guides for movement toward and away from the axis of the body, means under the control of an operator for moving the chuck carriers toward and away from the axis of the body, work-engaging chucks mounted on the inner ends of the chuck carriers, an annular tool carrier mounted to rotate on the body, about said axis, means for rotating the tool carrier, a tool carriage mounted. on the tool carrier for movement toward and away from the axis of the body, means under the control of an operator for moving the tool carriage as aforesaid, a motor, means for mounting the motor on the tool carriage, for swinging adjustment in a direction parallel to the axis of the body, means for regulating the swinging adjustment of the motor, and a grinding wheel carried by and driven by the motor, the grinding wheel operating in a plane parallel to the axis of the body.

3. In a device for dressing an external transverse shoulder on a member, an annular body having circumferentially spaced guides, chuck carriers mounted on the guides for movement toward and away from the axis of the body, means under the control of an operator for moving the chuck carriers toward and away from the axis of the body, work-engaging chucks mounted on the inner ends of the chuck carriers, an annular tool carrier mounted to rotate on the body, about said axis, means for rotating the tool carrier, a tool carriage mounted on the tool carrier for movement toward and away from the axis of the body, means under the control of an operator for moving the tool carriage as aforesaid, a slide mounted on the tool carriage for movement toward and away from the axis of the body, at an acute angle to the axis of the body, with the inner end of the tool slide nearer to the tool carrier than the outer end thereof, a shoulder dressing tool mounted on the inner end of the tool slide, and means under the control of an operator for moving the tool slide toward and from the axis of the body, at said angle.

4. In a device for dressing an external transverse shoulder on a member, an annular body, work holding means carried by the body, means under the control of an operator for adjusting the work holding means with respect to the axis of the body, an annular tool carrier mounted to rotate on the body, about said axis, means for rotating the tool carrier, a tool carriage mounted on the tool carrier for movement toward and away from the axis of the body, means under the control of an operator for moving the tool carriage as aforesaid, a tool slide mounted on the tool carriage for movement toward and away from the axis of the body, at an acute angle to the axis of the body, with the inner end of the tool slide nearer to the tool carrier than the outer end thereof, a shoulder dressing tool mounted on the inner end of the tool slide, means under the control of an operator for moving the tool slide toward and away from the axis of the body, at said angle, the last-specified means comprising a releasable part enabling the tool slide and the tool to be removed as one piece.

5. In a device for dressing an external transverse shoulder on a member, an annular body having work holding means, the body having an external circumferential groove, a rotatable tool carrier journaled on the body and having a rim extended about the body, an annular driving member extended into the groove, to hold the carrier on the body for rotation, detachable means for holding the driving member on one end of the rim, a wear ring in the groove, between the driving member and the base of the groove, means carried by the driving member for adjusting the ring toward the base of the groove, to take up wear, and shoulder forming means supported by the tool carrier.

6. In a device for dressing an external shoulder on a member, an annular body having work holding means, the body having an external circumferential groove disposed in a plane substan-- tially at right angles to the axis of the body, the body having an opening disposed approximately parallel to the axis of the body and leading to the groove, an annular tool carrier journaled on the body, an annular driving member extended into the groove, to hold the carrier on the body for rotation, a wear ring in the groove, between the driving member and the base of the groove, a plurality of circumferentially spaced pressure devices on the driving member,

having work holding means, a rotatable tool carrier journaled within the body, means for rotating the carrier, concentric conducting tracks on the inside of the body, conductor retainers extended through the carrier and engaged resiliently with the tracks, means on the body for bring- :ing the tracks accessibly into a circuit, from a point external to the body, a motor, means for mounting the motor on the carrier, for adjustment toward and away from the work to be shouldered, and conductors'connected to the motor and to the retainers. I

FRANK MORGAN. 

